The search continues this morning for a 46-year-old Sheboygan Falls man missing since Friday, the city’s police chief said.

John Schnicke was last seen in downtown Sheboygan Falls Friday night, and was reported missing by his brother on Sunday, said Police Chief Steve Riffel. The man typically walks home from the area, but has not been found anywhere near his typical route over the Sheboygan River, Riffel said.

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Schnicke is a white male described as 5 feet, 10 inches tall, 240 pounds with brown hair. He was last seen wearing a parka-type jacket with blue jeans and a NASCAR hat.

John Schnicke has now been missing for two weeks, and plans are in the works to expand the search for him through a billboard campaign and reward fund, Sheboygan Falls Police Chief Steve Riffel said Thursday.

Schnicke, 46, of Sheboygan Falls, was last seen Jan. 11 leaving the HyRyders Rochester Saloon, less than a mile from his home and about 150 feet from where police found footprints that stopped halfway across a railroad trestle over the Sheboygan River.

Sheboygan Falls police have issued another call for help as a 46-year-old man remains missing after more than a month.

John Schnicke, of Sheboygan Falls, was last seen Jan. 11 leaving the HyRyders Rochester Saloon, less than a mile from his home and about 150 feet from where police found footprints that stopped halfway across a railroad trestle over the Sheboygan River.

Several billboards have been erected in the area with Schnicke's picture and information, and a reward of more than $2,000 has been raised for any tips leading to him.

Police said Schnicke had been drinking at the riverside HyRyders — at the corner of Monroe Street and Broadway — until about 7:30 p.m. the night he disappeared.

He was reported missing by his brother two days later, and shortly after that a Sheboygan Falls police officer discovered footprints the same size as Schnicke's that went about 20 feet onto the trestle over the river and stopped.

Sheboygan Falls police and family members pleaded Wednesday for the public's help in locating John Schnicke, a 46-year-old Sheboygan Falls man missing since Friday.

A three-day search of the Sheboygan River — prompted by footprints abruptly ending on a railroad trestle above the river — yielded nothing, and police have not confirmed any sighting of the man since he left HyRyders Rochester Saloon on foot Friday night.

"We are pleading that anyone who may have seen John or knows anything that may be relevant to his whereabouts, please contact the Sheboygan Falls Police Department," John's brother, Glen Schnicke, said at a Wednesday morning press conference. "Up until now the search has been intensive, but without fresh information and leads, it's becoming more difficult to determine where the search should continue."

Police said Schnicke was last seen at the riverside HyRyders — at the corner of Monroe Street and Broadway — about 7:30 p.m. He was reported missing by his brother at 11 a.m. Sunday, and shortly after that a Sheboygan Falls police officer discovered footprints the same size as Schnicke's that went20 feet onto the trestle and stopped.

The trestle, which runs parallel to Monroe Street between Broadway and Water Street, was on the route Schnicke likely would have taken home, said Police Chief Steve Riffel. Schnicke does not drive, and walks everywhere he goes. The saloon is three-quarters of a mile from his home in the northwest corner of the city.

The decades-old trestle is a treacherous pathway about 20 feet over the river that is marked with a "no trespassing" sign. There is a three-foot open space between the wooden railroad bed and the rusted metal bridge supports to each side, and Riffel said people have fallen through into the water in the past.

The Sheboygan County Law Enforcement Dive Team worked with firefighters from Sheboygan Falls and Kohler to search the riverbank and portions of the river Sunday to Tuesday, but the search was called off Tuesday afternoon when no sign of Schnicke had been found. Police will continue to check the riverbank on a regular basis, Riffel said.

But three witnesses who came forward Tuesday may be proof that Schnicke made it safely across the river. They reported seeing a man matching his description hitchhiking on the east side of the Monroe Street bridge — across the trestle from the bar — about 8:30 p.m. Friday.

One of the people said the man was talking to the driver of a silver pickup that had pulled to the side of the road and opened its passenger-side door. They did not see the man get in.

"This may or may not be who they saw, but we are checking every bit of information we have," Riffel said. "All it takes is one bit of information, so … we will check everything."

Schnicke's family, 10 of whom gathered for the 10 a.m. press conference in the Sheboygan Falls Common Council chambers, said he had no history of mental or physical problems that could have played a part in the disappearance. Police said he had been drinking that night, but they do not know how much or whether that is a factor.

Schnicke had made tentative plans to watch the Green Bay Packers playoff game with family on Saturday, and did not appear unhappy in any way, his family said.

"We know John is out there somewhere," Glen Schnicke said. "He's a private person, somewhat of a loner, but we always talked with him on almost a daily basis. We know without question that he had no plans to leave this area."

John Schnicke, an employee at Bemis Manufacturing Co., grew up in Sheboygan Falls and spent all but five years of his life in the city, his brother said.

Glen Schnicke thanked area law enforcement and fire officials Wednesday for their efforts, saying the search is "a source of continued hope for our family."

"John, if you hear us, you know that with the help of all these wonderful people, we're doing everything possible to bring you home safely," he said at the press conference. "We love you, and we miss you more than you can possibly know."